Disk loading apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a disc loading apparatus that has the capability of simplifying the assembly while improving thinning and reducing the number of components. With a disc loading apparatus according to the present invention, a portion of a top panel of the frame is designed to be a second mounting unit and another portion of the top panel to be a first mounting unit, the upper surface of the second mounting unit is sagged downward more than the lower surface of the first mounting unit, notches are provided appropriately at the steeped unit between the first and the second mounting units, the second mounting unit is a portion of the disc guide, the interlocking mechanism is mounted on the upper surface of the second mounting unit, and the pair of disc detection members is mounted on the lower surface of the first mounting unit, and these detection members are arranged throughout the lower surface of the first mounting unit and the upper surface of the second mounting unit through the notches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a disc loading apparatus that devisessimplifying assembly while improving thinning and reducing the number ofcomponents.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A disc loading apparatus that is able to load both large and smalldiscs, generally provides a pair of right and left disc detectionmembers having a detection unit, and also an interlocking mechanism isprovided to make both disc detection members rotate synchronously,thereby detecting the disc position and disc diameter by the rotationamount while clamping of the disc by a roller and a disc guide, and therotation of the roller are controlled.

Japanese Laid-open patent publication 2002-298481 discloses a discloading apparatus. An insert port (12) for inserting a disc is formed onthe front surface of a chassis (11), a top guide (41) is attached to thelower surface of the chassis, and a pair of right and left disc arms(62), (63) are arranged between the lower surface of the chassis and theupper surface of the top guide. A plurality of guide protrusions (45),(46), (47) are provided on the lower surface of the top guide, and thedisc is clamped between a loading roller (42) and the guide protrusions,and the disc is fed by the rotation of the roller.

With the construction disclosed in Japanese Laid-open patent publication2002-298481, because the guide protrusions must be provided at anoverlapping position with the disc arms, the top guide is attached onthe lower surface of the chassis, the disc arms are arranged between thetop guide and the chassis, and the guide protrusions are provided on thelower surface of the top guide. However, improvement of thinning andreducing the number of components has been difficult because a processto attach the top guide to the chassis is required and a gap between thechassis and the top guide must be provided in order to arrange the discarms.

The present invention is achieved in consideration of such problemsdescribed above, and the object is to provide a disc loading apparatuswith the ability to simplify assembly while improving thinning andreducing the number of components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention proposes a disc loading apparatus which comprisesa frame; a disc guide; a pair of disc detection members mounted in theframe providing detection units respectively; an interlocking mechanismmounted in the frame so as to synchronously rotate the detectionmembers; and a roller mounted in the frame so as to clamp a disc incooperation with the disc guide, and feed the disc by a rotationaloperation; wherein the pair of detection members rotate in the wideningdirection of the mutual gap of the detection members while each of thedetection members is pushed to the circumference of the inserted disc;the disc position and disc diameter are detected by the rotation amountof the pair of disc detection members, and disc clamping by the rollerand disc guide according to the disc position and the diameter, and theroller rotation are controlled, wherein the disc loading apparatusfurther comprises a top panel provided in the frame; a second mountingunit formed on a portion of said top panel; a first mounting unit formedon another portion of the top panel; a stepped unit formed between thefirst and second mounting units by sagging the upper surface of thesecond mounting unit downward more than the lower surface of the firstmounting unit; and a notch formed in said stepped unit, and wherein aportion of the disc guide is constituted in the second mounting unit,and the interlocking mechanisms are mounted on the upper surface of thesecond mounting unit; the pair of disc detection members are mounted onthe lower surface of the first mounting unit, and are arrangedthroughout the lower surface of the first mounting unit and the uppersurface of the second mounting unit.

Preferably, the rotation range of at least one of disc detection membersis regulated by the end area of the notch.

The second mounting unit formed by sagging a portion of the top panel ofthe frame is used as a portion of the disc guide and also the mountingunit of the interlocking mechanism, and a pair of disc detection membersmounted on the first mounting unit is arranged throughout the lowersurface of the first mounting unit and the upper surface of the secondmounting unit so that the detection members and the interlockingmechanism correlate on the upper surface of the second mounting unit,and the number of components can be reduced by having various roles forthe second mounting unit. This allows simplifying the construction andmakes improvement of thinning easier as a result. Because the uppersurface side of the second mounting unit is open, the interlockingmechanism can attach easily to the upper surface of the second mountingunit, simplifying the assembly.

Furthermore, if the end of the notch is designed to be a stopper toregulate the rotation range of the disc detection member, there is noneed to provide a stopper separately for the disc detection member,simplifying the construction even more.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the followingdetailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing a disc player thatrelates to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the disc player shownin FIG. 1 breaking out the upper unit and lower unit.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the upper unit.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing the lower unit.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing a disc detection mechanism and a discsize determination mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view showing a disc positioning mechanism, aclamping mechanism, and a driving means.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the composition of aclamper.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a linking mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of the linkingmechanism.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view showing a loading mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a lateral view showing the relationship between a portion ofthe upper gear group and a gear plate.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing the composition of afeeding means and a disc guide.

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing a detection means.

FIG. 14 is a lateral view showing the composition of a main trackingadjustment means.

FIG. 15 is a top plan view showing the composition of the main trackingadjustment means.

FIG. 16 is a lateral view showing the composition of a sub-trackingadjustment means.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a rotating member attachmentmechanism in a state of use.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a support member.

FIG. 19 is a lateral view showing a fixed member.

FIG. 20 is a top plan view showing the disc player in a state of use.

FIG. 21 is a top plan view showing the disc player in a state of use.

FIG. 22 is a top plan view showing the disc player in a state of use.

FIG. 23 is a top plan view showing the disc player in a state of use.

FIG. 24 is a top plan view showing the disc player in a state of use.

FIG. 25 is a front view showing a state in which the dampers arereleased from the turntable by a releasing member.

FIG. 26 is a front view showing the state in which a disc is clamped.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred Embodiments of the present invention will be describedhereafter with reference to drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the exterior of amechanism unit 1 of a disc player used for automobiles. At the frontsurface, the mechanism unit 1 of the disc player provides a discinsertion port 2 where a large disc D1 or small disc D2 is inserted andejected. An arrow A shows the disc insert direction, and the oppositedirection indicates the disc eject direction. Together, the disc insertdirection and disc eject direction are collectively referred to as thedisc insert/eject direction.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the mechanism unit 1of the disc player by breaking out an upper unit 3 and a lower unit 4.

FIG. 3 shows a top plane view of the upper unit 3; and FIG. 4 shows atop plane view of the lower unit 4.

The upper unit 3, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, comprises an upperframe 5 (shown by a virtual line), a disc detection mechanism 6, a discsize determination mechanism 7, a disc positioning mechanism 8, aclamping mechanism 9, and a portion of a loading mechanism 10.

The lower unit 4 comprises, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, a lower frame11, a damper 12 consisting of three buffer members, a pickup unit 15including a turntable 13 with a built-in magnet and a pickup 14, acircuit substrate 16 providing a control circuit, and another portion ofthe loading mechanism 10.

The upper frame 5 consisting of a nearly rectangular metal plate, asshown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, has side panels formed by bending downwardfrom four sides of a top panel 17, and superposition units 20, 21 areprovided at the front and rear respectively in the disc insert/ejectdirection of the right and left side panels 18, 19. Further, the lowerframe 11 consisting of a nearly rectangular metal plate, as shown inFIG. 2 and FIG. 4, has side panels which are formed by bending upwardfrom the four sides of a bottom panel 22, and superposition units 25, 26are provided at the front and rear respectively in the disc insert/ejectdirection of the right and left side panels 23, 24. Furthermore,combining the upper frame 5 and lower frame 11 is performed bysuperimposing the mutually corresponding superposition units and fixingby screw 27.

The top panel 17, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, forms a long recess inthe lateral direction through extrusion processing facing downward fromthe upper surface and such area becomes a second mounting unit 28, andthe other area is a first mounting unit 29. Further, at a stepped unit30 between the first and second mounting units 29, 28, a notch 31 isprovided appropriately. Moreover, the second mounting unit 28 togetherwith guide projections 203 which will be described hereafter constitutesa disc guide 32, making the rear side thereof the disc feeding path.

At the lower surface of the first mounting unit 29, a portion of thedisc detection mechanism 6, a disc size determination mechanism 7, adisc position mechanism 8, a clamping mechanism 9, and a portion of theloading mechanism 10 are loaded.

At the upper surface of the bottom plate 22 of the lower frame 11, asshown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, each of the bodies 33 of the three dampers12 are fixed. Further, a head 34 of each damper 12 is attached at a partof the pickup unit 15, and the pickup unit 15 is supported in a floatingstate in relation to the lower frame 11 through these dampers 12.Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the circuit substrate 16 at the rightside of the pickup unit 15 in the drawing is attached to the bottomplate 22.

Five switches in the control circuit are arranged on the circuitsubstrate 16 . A first switch 35 detects when either a large or smalldisc is inserted from the disc insertion port 2. A second switch 36detects when either a large or small disc is loaded completely on theturntable 13. A third switch 37 detects when a large disc D1 isdischarged. A fourth switch 38 detects when a small disc D2 isdischarged. A fifth switch 39 as a disc insert detection switch detectswhen either a large or small disc is inserted within the disc player.

Meanwhile, the right side plate 24 of the lower frame 11 is a bent piece40 where the rear is bent inward, and a loading motor 41 that is a partof the loading mechanism 10 is loaded at the bent piece 40. The loadingmotor 41 is connected to the control circuit on the circuit substrate 16by wires. A worm gear 43 is loaded at a shaft 42 of the loading motor41. Further, at the interior surface of the right side panel 24, a lowergear group 44 is equipped which receives the rotation of the worm gear43.

FIG. 5 is a top plane view showing the disc detection mechanism 6 andthe disc size determination mechanism 7. The disc detection mechanism 6comprises a pair of right and left and horizontally rotating discdetection members 45, 46, a pair of right and left partial gears 47, 48constituting an interlocking mechanism, and a pair of right and leftcoil springs 49. The disc detection mechanism 6 is installed on thelower surface of the first mounting unit 29 and the upper surface of thesecond mounting unit 28.

The disc detection members 45, 46 detect whether an inserted disc sizeis large or small and are thereby mounted with the ability to rotatefreely respectively at spindles 50, 51 which protrude to the lowersurface of the first mounting unit 29, and extend to the vicinity of thedisc insertion port 2 passing through the upper surface side of thesecond mounting unit 28 from the notch 31, and which have detectionunits 52, 53 (refer to FIG. 2) which extend downward at each extendedend. Both disc detection members 45, 46 have the ability to rotatefreely within the range of the notch 31, and maintain their initialposition by causing a part to attach at the end of the notch 31 throughthe energizing force of the coil spring 49. Further, the detectionmembers 45, 46 have spindles 50, 51 and concentric gear units 54, 55.

Furthermore, a coupling pin 56 at the disc detection member 45 of theleft side and a coupling pin 57 at the disc detection member 46 of theright side are arranged respectively. At the lower surface side of bothdisc detection members 45, 46, inclined ribs 58, 59 are provided whichincline so as to gradually increase in height when progressing downwardfrom the vicinity of each gear unit 54, 55 towards the vicinity of eachcoupling pin 56, 57. Moreover, elastic pieces 60, 61 are provided in thevicinity of the inclined ribs 60, 61, and always elastically crimped atthe lower surface of the first mounting unit 29 so that the generationof rattle noise by the vibration of detection members 45, 46 can beprevented.

The pair of partial gears 47, 48 is mounted with the ability to rotatefreely between both disc detection members 45 and 46 of the uppersurface of the second mounting unit 28 through spindles 62, 63. Eachpartial gear, 47, 48 has concentric first gear units 64, 65, second gearunits 66, 67, and hooks 68, 69; and the second gears 66, 67 are mutuallyengaged, and each first gear unit 64, 65 is respectively engaged to thegear units 54, 55 of each disc detection member 45, 46. Further, thecoil spring 49 is hung between each hook 68, 69 and the second mountingunit 28; and the detection units 52, 53 of both disc detection members45, 46 are energized in a direction to become closer to each other.

In addition, in each partial gear 47, 48, recessed units 70, 71 with onecog lacking are provided at each end of the first gear units 64, 65, andsalient units 72, 73 which overlap with each gear unit 54, 55 areprovided at the disc detection members 45, 46. The width measurement ofthe salient units 72, 73 is set to be sufficiently wider than the cogwidth of the gear units 54, 55, and when a disc is not inserted, therecessed units 70, 71 and salient units 72, 73 can be mutuallyinterlocked.

These recessed units 70, 71 and salient units 72, 73 are used as a guidefor alignment in order to easily attach both disc detection members 45,46 and the partial gears 47, 48 to the second mounting unit 28 and thefirst mounting unit 29. Further, because the load at the start isreceived by the salient units 72, 73, in order to enhance the strengthof the gear units 54, 55, there is no need to go to the trouble of usingan expensive material or increase the thickness of the cogs.

The disc size determination mechanism 7 comprises a reciprocating member74 which is the large disc detection means, a rotating member 75 whichis the latching means, a locking member 76, and a spring 77 forenergizing in order to rotate the rotating member 75. The disc sizedetermination mechanism 7 is loaded at the lower surface side of thefirst mounting unit 29 at the left back location in the drawing of thedisc detection mechanism 6.

The reciprocating member 74 is formed in a slender plate, and arrangedso that the lengthwise direction is directed towards the discinsert/eject direction. The reciprocating member 74 at the front end hasa long hole 78 which is at a right angle to the disc insert/ejectdirection, and the coupling pin 56 of the disc detection member 45 isengaged into the long hole 78, and operates with rotation of the discdetection member 45, and reciprocates in the disc insert/ejectdirection. Further, the reciprocating member 74 projects a cylindricalpin 79 upward in the vicinity of the rear end, and, on the rear surface,also has a thin wall 80 that extends the entire length in the lengthwisedirection. The thin wall 80 regulates excessive bias in the leftdirection of the disc at the time of disc insertion and ejection.

The rotating member 75 is attached on the lower surface of the firstmounting unit 29 through a spindle 81 with the ability to rotate freelyat the back location in the drawing of the reciprocating member 74, andenergized in the counterclockwise direction by the spring 77. Thisrotating member 75 is also formed in a slender plate, and arranged sothat the lengthwise direction is directed towards the disc insert/ejectdirection with a long opening in the lengthwise direction. Furthermore,the rotating member 75 provides a hook 82 at the front end, and furtherprovides a first latching unit 83 for latching a large disc at themiddle of the right surface, and a second latching unit 84 for latchinga small disc at the front end of the right surface respectively.Moreover, in the opening described above, a cam surface 85 whichinclines to increase the height from nearly the center towards the backis provided at the left side surface, and a third latching unit 86 forlatching the pin 79 is also provided at the right side surface.

The locking member 76 is axially supported with the ability to rotatefreely at the lower surface of the first mounting unit 29, and which hasa pressed wall 87 which extends from the vicinity of the rotation axisto the front, and a cylinder 88 located at the furthest position fromthe rotation axis and to the left side of the rotation axis, and a spacewhere the hook 82 of the rotating member 75 can enter appropriately isprovided between the pressed wall 87 and the cylinder 88.

FIG. 6 is a top plane view showing the disc positioning mechanism 8 andthe clamping mechanism 9. As shown in FIG. 6, the disc positioningmechanism 8 comprises a pair of right and left stopper members 89, 90which is the stopper means, a trigger member 91 which is the discloading detection means, and an energizer spring, which is notillustrated, for energizing by rotating the right side stopper member 90in the clockwise direction in the drawing. The disc positioningmechanism 8 is arranged at the back side of the clamp mechanism 9.

The pair of right and left stopper members 89, 90 constituting stoppermeans is mounted with the ability to rotate freely at the spindlesrespectively, in other words, at the lower surface side of the firstmounting unit 29 through a rotating member attachment mechanism 247which will be described hereafter. Both stopper members 89, 90 havespindles and concentric gear units 94, 95, and which are composed so asto rotate by engaging those gear units 94, 95 in mutual synchronization.The gear units 94, 95 are thicker than other parts in order to increasethe strength, and the thickened portion is shown within an arc hole 96provided in the first mounting unit 29 (refer to FIG. 1). Both stoppermembers 89, 90 provide stopper units 97, 98 constituting common stoppersenabled to contact with either a large disc D1 or a small disc D2inserted. Both stopper units 97, 98 are formed in nearly a cylindricalshape projected downward and located in the disc feeding path.

Further, each of the stopper members 89, 90 provide pressed units 99,100 used for a large disc, pressed units 101, 102 used for a small disc,and elastic pieces 103, 104 respectively. Each elastic piece 101, 102 iscrimped at all times at the lower surface of the first mounting unit 29,and which prevents the generation of a rattle noise by the vibration ofeach of the stopper members 89, 90. At the left side of the stoppermember 89, a first latch receiving unit 105 and a recess shaped secondlatch receiving unit 106 is further provided. In addition, the stoppermembers 89, 90 are energized in the direction having the stopper units97, 98 coming closer to each other by the energized springs which arenot illustrated.

The trigger member 91 is nearly T shaped, and the lower end of thevertical piece thereof is mounted at nearly the center of the lowersurface of the stopper member 90 through a spindle 107. Further, one endof the horizontal piece of the T shape is a disc contact unit 108, and apressing unit 109 protruding downward is provided at the other end.

The clamping mechanism 9 comprises a damper 110, a damper releasingmeans 1 12 composed of a pair of linking mechanisms 111 arrangedbilaterally-symmetric across the axial center line of the damper 110,and a driving means 113.

The damper 110, as shown in FIG. 7, comprises a damper member 114 madeof a synthetic resin, a magnetic plate 115 which is the magnet yokeembedded in the turntable 13, and a felt 116 applied to the uppersurface of the magnetic plate 115.

The damper member 114 provides a flat surface unit 117 where the uppersurface center is low for only that thickness of the magnetic plate 115,a plurality of protrusions 118 arranged equiangularly in acircumferential direction at this flat surface unit 117, and a centerhole 119. Further, the outer circumference surface is a taper surface120 which becomes a proportionally narrower diameter as progressingdownward (refer to FIG. 25).

Meanwhile, the magnetic plate 115 is nearly a triangle shape, and whichhas a semi-hit unit 121 which protrudes downward so as to engage withthe center hole 119 of the damper member 114 and the small holes 122which have the same number of protrusions 118. Further, after theprotrusions 118 of the damper member 114 are inserted into the smallholes 122 respectively and placed on the flat surface unit 117, the tipends of the protrusions 118 are flattened and attached to the dampermember 114. In addition, the method for attaching the damper member 114and the magnetic plate 115 is not limited to that described above, and abinding material may be used, or ultrasonic welding may be used.

The felt 116 can be pasted on the upper surface of the semi-hit unit 121directly if the adhesive sheet is pasted on the lower surface. Thethickness of the felt 116 is set to be slightly higher than the uppersurface of the damper 114 and the magnetic plate 115.

Each of the linking mechanisms 111 comprises a damper releasing member123, a front linking member 124, and a rear linking member 125 as shownin FIG. 8.

The releasing member 123 extends a pair of mutually parallel arms 127from the salient surface side of a circular arc unit 126, and therecessed surface side of the circular arc unit 126 is the taper surface128 which becomes a proportionally narrower diameter as progressingdownward.

The front linking member 124 is constructed so that one end of a pair oflegs 129 is coupled with the cylinder 130 and both legs 129 are mutuallyparallel; and the other end of each of the legs is mounted with theability to rotate freely at the inner surface of each arm 127 and in thevicinity of the circular arc unit 126 through a metallic rotation orrotational axis 131. Further, the rear linking member 125 is alsoconstructed so that one of each end of a pair of legs 132 is coupledwith the cylinder 133 and both legs 132 are mutually parallel; and theother end unit of each leg 132 is mounted with the ability to rotatefreely at the inner surface of each arm 127 and the vicinity of the endunit through the metallic rotation axis 131. The link span between thefront linking member 124 and the rear linking member 125 are the same.In addition, the “link span” here indicates a space between the rotationaxial line in relation to the upper frame 5 and the rotation axial linein relation to the releasing member of the front or rear linking member124, 125. The linking member 111 constituted in such manner is attachedto the lower surface of the first mounting unit 29 through a nearlyrectangular parallelepiped base 134 and a sheet metal 135 making arectangular attachment plate.

The base 134 has grooves 136, 137 which are parallel to each other atboth ends of the upper surface, and a fixed axis 138 which iscircumferentially segmented in four directions is provided in aprotruded manner between both grooves 136, 137.

The sheet metal 135 is constituted so that the right and left edges arebent upwards once and bent horizontally outward along the way and makingthese as pressing units 139, 140, and a large hole 141 is provided inthe middle area.

As shown in FIG. 9, after each of the cylinders 130, 133 of the frontlinking member 124 and rear linking member 125 are engaged in thegrooves 136, 137 of the base 134 with the ability to revolve freely, thesheet metal 135 is superimposed on the upper surface of the base 134,and then, the pressing units 139, 140 of the sheet metal 135 are laid oneach of the cylinders 130, 133. Subsequently, the fixed axis 138 of thebase 134 is engaged into the attachment hole provided at the firstmounting unit 29 through the large hole 141 of the sheet metal 135, andthe linking mechanism 11 is attached at the lower surface of the firstmounting unit 29.

The driving means 113, as shown in FIG. 6, is arranged between thedamper releasing means 112 and the disc position mechanism 8, and whichcomprises a pair of right and left transferring members 142, 143, and apair of right and left synchronizing gears 144, 145. Both transferringmembers 142, 143 are slender, and the lengthwise direction is facing anorthogonal direction in relation to the disc insert/eject direction,while being arranged laterally symmetrical on the same straight line,and mounted at the lower surface of the first mounting unit 29 with theability to transfer in the lengthwise direction. Further, thesynchronizing gears 144, 145 are mounted on the lower surface of thefirst mounting unit 29 between both transferring members 142, 143.

Each of the transferring members 142, 143 has pressing pieces 146, 147and racks 148, 149 in the vicinity of one end adjacent to each other,and each of the racks 148, 149 are engaged to the correspondingsynchronizing gears 144, 145 respectively so as to move synchronizing inreverse direction from each other. And then, when both transferringmembers 142, 143 move in the separating direction, the pressed units 99,100 used for a large disc or pressed units 101, 102 used for a smalldisc of the stopper members 89, 90 are pressed by the pressing pieces146, 147 so that the left side stopper member 89 can rotate in theclockwise direction, and the right side stopper 90 can rotate in thecounterclockwise direction in a synchronized motion.

Further, in the vicinity of the other end of each of the transferringmembers 142, 143, first pressing units 150, 151 which lower thereleasing member 123 by pressing the leg 132 of each of the rear linkingmember 125 at the time of moving in the separating direction, and secondpressing units 152, 153 which raise the releasing member 123 by pressingthe leg 132 at the time of moving towards each other are provided.Furthermore, a pressing unit 154 is also provided at the left sidetransferring member 142, for rotating the locking member 76 in theclockwise direction in FIG. 6 by pressing the pressed wall 87 of thelocking member 76 at the time of moving in the separating direction.Moreover, an engagement protrusion 155 is formed at the lower surface ofthe other end unit of the right transferring member 143.

The loading mechanism 10 comprises, as shown in FIG. 10, an activatingmeans 156, a power transfer mechanism 157, a feeding means 158, adetection means 159, and the loading mortar 41.

The activating means 156 comprises a sliding member 160 arranged at theright back area of the lower surface of the first mounting unit 29, anda guidance rack plate 161 arranged at the right center area of the lowersurface of the first mounting unit 29, and both of them have the abilityto move in the disc insert/eject direction.

The sliding member 160 is a thin plate made of synthetic resin, and thepressed unit 162 is formed at the lower surface side, and the pressedunit 162 slides in the disc eject direction pressed by the pressing unit109 of the trigger member 91. Further, a protruding unit 163 whichprotrudes downward is provided at the right edge in the drawing.

The guidance rack plate 161 is a thin plate made of synthetic resin inthe shape of a crank, and which has a rack 164 at the lower edge of thebottom portion within the drawing and a hook 165 near the center area(refer to FIG. 12). When the sliding member 160 slides towards the disceject direction, the top end in the drawing is pressed by the protrudingunit 163 of the sliding member 160, and moves in the same direction, andthis makes the rack 164 engage with the power transfer mechanism 157.

The power transfer mechanism 157 is based on gear groups, and whichcomprises a lower gear group 44 mounted on the interior surface of theright side plate 24 of the lower frame 11, an upper gear group 166mounted on the interior surface side of the right panel 19 of the upperframe 5, and a gear plate 167 (refer to FIG. 11). Further, the lowergear group 44 is mounted in the back half of the right side plate 24 ofthe lower frame 11, in other words, at the lower half of the side plate;and the upper gear group 166 is mounted at the front half of the rightside plate 19 of the upper frame 5, in other words, mounted at the upperhalf of the side plate directly or through the gear plate 167. The lowerhalf of the side panel and the upper half of the side panel areinterlocked as shown in FIG. 1, and the lower gear group 44 and theupper gear group 166 are mesh connected. The feeding means 158 is drivenby the loading motor 41 through the power transfer mechanism 157.

The lower gear group 44 comprises a first gear 168, a second gear 169,and a third gear 170 which are all axially supported at the interiorsurface of the right side plate 24 of the lower frame 11. These are alltwo-step gears, and the first gear 168 is engaged with the worm gear 43by having the large gear of the first step as the helical gear. A largegear which is the first step of the second gear 169 is engaged to asmall gear which is the second step of the first gear 168, and a largegear which is the first step of the third gear 170 is engaged with asmall gear which is the second step of the second gear 169, so that therotation of the loading motor 41 can be slowed in stages.

The upper gear group 166, as shown in FIG. 11, comprises a fourth gear171, a fifth gear 172, a sixth gear 173, and a seventh gear 174 whichare all two-step gears. The fourth gear 171 and the fifth gear 172 areaxially supported directly in the interior surface of the right sideplate 19; however the seventh gear 174 together with the gear plate 167are axially supported in the interior surface of the right side plate 19through the mutual spindle 175; and sixth gear 173 is axially supportedat the gear plate 167, and the large gear which is the second step isengaged at all times with the small gear which is the first step of theseventh gear 174. The large gear which is the first step of the fourthgear 171 is engaged with the small gear which is the second step of thefourth gear 171 so that the rotation of the third gear 170 can befurther slowed in stages and transferred to the fifth gear 172. Thesmall gear which is the first step of the sixth gear 173 has the abilityto detach in relation to the large gear which is the first step of thefifth gear 174, so that the rotation of the fifth gear 172 can betransferred to the seventh gear 174 by increasing the speed at the sixthgear 173 at this time. Further, the worm gear 43 loaded on the loadingmotor 41, first gear 168, second gear 169, third gear 170, fourth gear171, and fifth gear 172 constitute an operation means.

The gear plate 167 is a metallic plate, and the right end in FIG. 11 isbent inward making a slide contact receiving unit 176, and an engagingpin 177 is provided near the center in the drawing. The gear plate 167,the engaging pin 177, and the sixth gear 173 which is axially supportedto the gear plate 167, constitute a clutch means which suitablyinterrupts the power transfer path between the operation means and aroller 178.

The feeding means 158, as shown in FIG. 12, comprises the roller 178, aroller supporter 179, a slider 180 to control the roller position, a camplate 181, and the disc guide 32.

The roller 178 is constituted by inserting a metallic roller axis 1 84into a pair of taper cylinders 182, 183 made of synthetic rubber whichgradually becomes smaller in size from the outer end to the inner end.Both ends of the axis 184 protrude from the outer end of the tapercylinders 182, 183, and a small collar 185 is attached at one end of theprotruding axis 184, and a large collar 186 and a roller gear 187 areattached at the other end. The cog width of the roller gear 187 is about2 mm, and at the outer surface of the cogs, a cylindrical collar 188 isplaced.

The roller supporter 179 is made of a metallic plate, and has right andleft side panels 190 which are formed by bending upward at the right andleft ends of a flat plate 189 which is laterally long, and these rightand left side panels extend from the flat plate 189 to the back. Theright and left side panels 190 have a shaft hole 191 at nearly themiddle area respectively, and each shaft hole 191 is inter-fit into theaxis not illustrated that protrudes to the interior surfaces of theright and left side panels 18, 19 on the frame 5, and is mounted withthe ability to rotate freely vertically between both side panels 18, 19.Further, the small collar 185 and the large collar 186 are supportedrespectively by the extended portion of the right and left side panels190, and the roller 178 is supported with the ability to rotate freely.The rear edge of the flat plate 189 is a mountain fold edge 192 which isbent towards the reverse surface. This mountain fold edge 192 is also aV shape recess which is nearly bilaterally symmetric in the drawing ofthe flat plate; however the inclined angle is about 1 degree which isvery slight in relation to the shaft center line of the roller.Furthermore, a pair of right and left curved units 193, which are bentupward, is provided at the front edge of the flat plate 189. When theroller 178 is placed at the lower side, in other words, the disc isinserted into the playback position, these curved units 193 are placedat the upper side to plug the disc insertion port 2 and prevent a doubledisc insertion. In addition, the roller supporter 179 is energized atall times in the direction where the roller 1 78 is raised by the springwhich is not illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 12, the slider 180 is a slender form and is mounted onthe lower surface of the first mounting unit 29 by directing thelengthwise direction to the disc insert/eject direction with the abilityto move in the disc insert/eject direction. This slider 180 has asliding contact unit 194 at the front end in the drawing with aprotruding unit at the rear side, and has an inclined surface 195constituting a protruding cam as the roller separation unit where thefront edge inclines downward as progressing to the rear side, and a camgroove 196 as the power interruption unit at the further rear side onthe right side surface. The engaging pin 177 of the gear plate 167 isinserted into the cam groove 196. At the further rear side of the camgroove 196, a rack unit 197 is provided; and at the left side unit ofthe rear end in the drawing, an engaging unit 198 which protrudesdownward is provided. The rack unit 197 selectively engages with a smallgear which is the second step of the fifth gear 172. In addition, thecam groove 196 is provided in the slider 180, and the engaging pin 177is provided on the gear plate 167 with the present Embodiment; however,it is not limited to that described above, and the pin may be providedin the slider and the cam groove may be on the plate.

The cam plate 181 is mounted on the lower surface of the first mountingunit 29, and a cam groove 199 is provided at the front half in thedrawing. The cam groove 199 is formed to extend in the disc insert/ejectdirection, and the middle area is made to be an inclined unit whichinclines to the right side as it progresses to the rear, and theengaging protrusion 155 of the transferring member 143 is inserted intothe cam groove 199. The front right side wall of the cam groove 199 iscomposed of an elastic piece 200 which extends to the front side in thedrawing, and a stopper 201 is provided at the tip of the elastic piece200. Further, in the deepest area in the drawing, a prismatic shapedsecond switch pressing unit 202 protrudes downward. Furthermore, at theright side of the front end of the cam plate 181 in the drawing, a holewhich is not illustrated is provided for inserting the engaging unit 198of the slider 180 so that the cam plate 181 can move integrally with theslider 180. Moreover, a spring which is not illustrated is attached inthe space with the guidance rack plate 161 so that the cam plate 181 canfollow when the guidance rack plate 161 is moved by the springenergizing force. In addition, the cam plate 181 stably maintains atermination location before and after movement by a reversal springwhich is not illustrated.

The disc guide 32 comprises the second mounting unit 28 of the upperframe 5 and four guiding projections 203 (only one of them isillustrated).

Each guiding projection 203 is attached at the lower surface of thesecond mounting unit 28 where the lengthwise direction is orthogonal tothe disc insert/eject direction and mutually paired laterally bypositioning at the near side and far side of the roller 178.

A bulging unit 204 where the front half of the rectangular region of thecenter is bulged downward, is provided in the second mounting unit 28,and a plurality of positioning holes 205 are provided at the right andleft thereof in order to mount each guiding projection 203 respectively.The positioning holes 205 are formed by connecting a small circular hole206 and a large circular hole 207, and the large circular hole 207 sideis directed towards the bulging unit 204.

Each of the guiding projections 203 having the large heads providesengaging protrusions 208 in the same number as each of the positioningholes 205. A surface (lower surface) that contacts with the disc of eachguiding projection 203 is inclined so as to incline upward as itprogresses to the center area from the lateral end of the mounting unit28 (moving away from the shaft center line of the roller 178) in amounted state to the lower surface of the second mounting unit 28. Inaddition, each of the guiding projections 203 are composed of syntheticresins and all of them are identical forms and sizes.

In the attaching of each of the guiding projections 203, first, aplurality of engaging protrusions 208 are inserted through from thelarge circular holes 207 side of each of the positioning holes 205. Andthen, when the engaging protrusions 208 are moved to the small circularhole 206 side by sliding the guiding protrusions 203 outward whilepressing against the lower surface of the second mounting unit 28, thelarge size heads of the engaging protrusions 208 move to the smallcircular hole 206 side, the engaging protrusions 208 are prohibited fromslipping out from the positioning holes 205, and the guiding projections203 are mounted on the lower surface of the second mounting unit 28.

The detection means 159, as shown in FIG. 13, comprises a positiondetection member 209 and an actuator 210 which are arranged at the frontright side in FIG. 10.

The position detection member 209, as shown in FIG. 13, is arranged onthe lower surface side of the first mounting unit 29 while thelengthwise direction is directed to the disc insert/eject direction, andwhich has a wall which protrudes upward in the left side area in thedrawing of a prismatic shaped body 211, and a coupling piece 213 havinga long hole 212 extending to the left side is provided at the topsurface of the wall. The body 211 provides a first switch pressing unit214 to press the first switch 35, a third switch pressing unit 215 topress the third switch 37, and a fourth switch pressing unit 216 topress the fourth switch 38 which are arranged at the circuit substrate16. The position detection member 209 is mounted on the lower surface ofthe slider 180 with the ability to freely move in the disc insert/ejectdirection, and which inserts the coupling pin 57 of the disc detectionmember 46 into the long hole 212 and moves in the disc insert/ejectdirection by interlocking with the rotation of the disc detection member46.

The actuator 210 has a spindle hole 217 at the front side in the drawingand is axially supported at the right side panel 19 of the upper frame 5with the ability to rotate freely by inserting the supporting axis(indicated by the virtual line) of the roller supporter 179 to this hole217. A fifth switch pressing unit 218 is formed at the back side in thedrawing to press the fifth switch 39 (refer to FIG. 4). Further, avertically long loop unit 219 is provided at the front side of theswitch pressing unit 218 in the drawing. Within this loop unit 219, thecollar 188 of the roller 178 is inserted. In order for the actuator 210to share the supporting axis with the roller supporter 179, the spindlehole 217 needs to be located more to the front side than the roller 178;and because the fifth switch pressing unit 218 also needs to be locatedmore to the back side than the roller 178 in order to press the fifthswitch 39 located further to the back than the roller 178, the loop unit219 which shows the collar 188 arranged at the roller axis 184 isprovided so that the actuator 210 does not interfere with the rolleraxis 184. Further, a torsion spring which is not illustrated is hungbetween the roller supporter 179 and the actuator 210, and when theroller supporter 179 starts rotating by inserting a disc, the actuator210 also follows and starts rotating so that the fifth switch 39 ispressed by the fifth switch press unit 218.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pickup unit 15 comprises a turntable 13 having abuilt-in magnet, a pickup 14 to playback or record the disc, a feedmotor means 220 to drive the pickup 14, a pickup support means 221 tosupport the pickup 14, and a pickup chassis 222 for carrying these.

The pickup chassis 222 made of a metallic plate has a large opening 223at the center, and the turntable 13, pickup 14, and the feed motor means220 are arranged together to the inside of the large opening 223. At thethree locations around the chassis 222, a damper attachment 224 isprovided in which a portion is opened and is formed by stepped bendprocessing.

The turntable 13 is attached to the right lower area of the pickupchassis 222 in the drawing, and the center of the turntable 13 becomesnearly the center of the mechanism unit 1 of the disc player. The pickup14 is arranged within the large opening 223 with the ability toreciprocate between the vicinity of the turntable 13 and the upper areaof the pickup chassis 222 diagonally in the drawing. This pickup 14 isattached to the pickup chassis 222 through the pickup support means 221.

The feed motor means 220 comprises a feed motor 227 providing a feedscrew 226 having spiral grooves, and a motor support plate 228 tosupport those. The motor support plate 228 fixes the feed motor 227 atone end, and supports the tip of the feed screw 226 at the other endwith the ability to revolve freely; and the feed screw 226 is attachedon the rear side of the pickup chassis 222 accommodating the movingdirection of the pickup 14.

The pickup support means 221 comprises a main-guide 229 and a sub-guide230 arranged so as to be parallel to each other, a main-guide trackingadjustment means 231 and a sub-guide tracking adjustment means 232, anda pickup feed plate 233. Because the location of one end of themain-guide 229 is fixed on the lower surface side of the pickup chassis222, the main-guide tracking adjustment means 231 exclusively adjuststhe tracking by only the other end of the main-guide 229.

The main-guide tracking adjustment means 231, as shown in FIG. 14,comprises a coil spring 234 to energize the main-guide 229 in thetracking direction at a uniform elastic force, an adjusting plate 235made of a blade spring to receive the elastic force of the spring 234 bythe opposite side of the main-guide 229 to regulate the trackingdirection movement of the main-guide 229, and a main-guide adjust screw237 which is screwed into the rear surface of the pickup chassis 222 viaa through hole 236 (refer to FIG. 15) provided at a portion of theadjusting plate 235.

The adjusting plate 235 has a three-staged flat surface which includes,in order from the top of the drawing, an upper stage 238, a middle stage239, and a lower stage 240. The upper stage 238 is fixed to the lowersurface side of the pickup chassis 222, and the lower stage 240 isattached to the main-guide 229 from the lower side so that themain-guide 229 can be supported. As shown in FIG. 15, the middle stage239 has a hole 241 resembling a U shape for providing flexibility to thearea connected with the upper stage 238, and further has the throughhole 236 at in an area near to the lower stage 240.

Adjustment of the main-guide 229 in the tracking direction is performedby moving the main-guide 229 in the vertical direction in FIG. 14through fastening/loosening of the main-guide adjust screw 237.

The sub-guide tracking adjustment means 232, as shown in FIG. 16,comprises a pair of right and left sub-guide supporting plates 242 tosupport both ends of the sub-guide 230, a pair of right and leftcompressed springs 243 arranged at both ends of the sub-guide 230, apair of right and left sub-guide adjust screws 244 screwed into the rearsurface side of the pickup chassis 222 by passing through the holeprovided at the sub-guide supporting plate 242.

One end of both sub-guide supporting plates 242 is bent upwardrespectively in the drawing, and the tip of the sub-guide 230 is fittogether and supported by insertion into the hole provided at thebending member. Further, the adjust screw 244 is inserted through thecompressed spring 243 between the pickup chassis 222 and the sub-guidesupporting plate 242.

The adjustment of the sub-guide 230 in the tracking direction isperformed by moving the sub-guide 230 vertically by fastening/looseningeach of the sub-guide adjust screws 244.

Further, with the pickup feed plate 233, as shown in FIG. 4, one end isfixed at the pickup 14, and a screw head 246 formed by cut-bending isprovided at the other end, and then the screw head 246 is engaged in thespiral groove of the feed screw 226. By so doing, the power of the feedmotor 227 is transferred to the pickup feed plate 233 from the feedscrew 226, and the pickup 14 is driven by the power of the feed motor227.

A rotating member attachment mechanism 247 comprises a supporting member248 and a fixing member 249 as shown in FIG. 17. Both the supportingmember 248 and the fixing member 249 are formed of synthetic resin.

The supporting member comprises a circular shaped plate 250, a supportcylinder 251, and a fixing tube 252 as shown in FIG. 18. The supportcylinder 251 protrudes on one surface of the circular shaped plate 250and on the same axis with a circular center hole 253 of the circularshaped plate 250; and the fixing tube 252 which protrudes longer thanthe support cylinder 251 on one surface of the circular shaped plate 250by connecting to the circular center hole 253. The fixing tube 252 has ataper surface 254 at the inner circumference of the top end whichreduces in size to a smaller diameter towards the top end, and whichalso is circumferentially segmented in four directions. The tapersurface 254 is formed further to the front of the inner circumferencethan the top end of the support cylinder 251.

The fixing member 249, as shown in FIG. 19, comprises a pressing unit255 and an end plate 256 provided at the rear anchor of the pressingunit 255. The pressing unit 255 forms a cylindrical shape, and the toprim is a tapered slide contact rim 257 which is inserted into the fixingtube unit 252 through the circular center hole 253 of the circularshaped plate 250.

The spindles 50, 51, 62, 63 in FIG. 5 and the spindle 107 in FIG. 6 mayalso mount both disc detection members 45, 46, both partial gears 47,48, and both stopper members 89, 90 to the first mounting unit 29 asshown in FIG. 3 by the rotating member attachment mechanism 247.Likewise, the trigger member 91 may be mounted to the second mountingunit 28.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the attachment method of the rotatingcomponents by the rotating member attachment mechanism 247 to describehow the stopper member 89 is mounted to the first mounting unit 29 ofthe upper frame 5. As shown in FIG. 17, first, the support cylinder 251is engaged to the hole provided in the stopper member 89. Next, theportion longer than the support cylinder 251 of the fixing tube 252 isengaged to a circular fixing hole 258 provided in the first mountingunit 29. When the pressing unit 255 of the fixing member 249 is engagedinto the fixing tube 252 while the slide contact rim 257 of the pressingunit 255 contacts with the taper surface 254 of the fixing tube unit252, and in that state the fixing member 249 is compressed until the endplate 256 is attached to the circular shaped plate 250, the tapersurface 254 is pressed by the slide contact rim 257, and the top end ofthe fixing tube unit 252 slightly rolls back outward. By so doing, thetop end of the fixing tube 252 is extended outward further than thecircular fixing hole 258 of the first mounting unit 29, and thesupporting member 248 is fixed tightly to the first mounting unit 29,and the stopper member 89 is mounted with the ability to freely rotatein relation to the first mounting unit 29.

An operation of the mechanism unit 1 of the disc player is describedhereafter.

First, a description will be given of the operation until a discinserted from the disc insertion port 2 is loaded into the playbackposition.

FIG. 20 shows the state in which a large disc D1 or a small disc D2 isinserted from the disc insertion port 2 between the detection units 52,53 of the disc detection member 45, 46 and the circumference of the discmakes contact with both detection units 52, 53. From this state, asshown in FIG. 21, when the disc is inserted while expanding the intervalbetween the detection units 52, 53 by pushing the disc, the discdetection members 45, 46 start rotating. The disc detection member 45 ofthe left side is connected to the reciprocating member 74, and the discdetection member 46 of the right side is connected to the positiondetection member 209, so if both disc detection members 45, 46 rotate ina direction which causes the corresponding detection units 52, 53 toseparate, then the reciprocating member 74 and the position detectionmember 209 move to the disc insert=direction.

When the position detection member 209 moves to the disc insertdirection, first, the fourth switch pressing unit 216 of the member 209presses the fourth switch 38 to turn on. When the position detectionmember 209 further moves to the disc insert direction, the first switchpressing unit 214 of the member 209 presses the first switch 35 to turnon, and the motor 41 is activated by detecting the disc insertion.

The rotation of the motor 41 is transferred to roller 178 through thepower transfer mechanism 157, and the roller 178 starts rotating in theclockwise direction in FIG. 12. When the disc is inserted between theroller 178 and the guide projection 203 (refer to FIG. 12) of the discguide 32, the roller 178 is pushed downward by the disc, and the rollersupporter 179 barely rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 12centering around the shaft hole 191. While the roller 178 is presseddownward, the actuator 210 also rotates in the clockwise direction inFIG. 13 by the energizing force of the spring not illustrated which isplaced through the space with the actuator 210, the fifth switchpressing unit 218 presses the fifth switch 39. By so doing, the fifthswitch 39 turns on and the insertion of the disc is detected. The discis clamped by the roller 178 and the disc guide 32 and fed by therotation of the roller 178.

FIG. 22 shows the state in which a large disc D1 or small disc D2 is fedby the roller 178, and the center of the disc arrives between bothdetection units 52, 53. First, when a small disc D2 is inserted, even ifthe center of the small disc D2 arrives between both detection units 52,53, the pin 79 will not reach to the cam surface 85 of the rotatingmember 75 because the rotation amounts of both disc detection members45, 46 are small and the moving amounts of the reciprocating member 74are also small. Further, because the displacement of the positiondetection member 209 is also small, the third switch pressing unit 215does not move to the position of the third switch 37, so the thirdswitch 37 maintains the off state. Meanwhile, when a large disc D1 isinserted, both disc detection members 45, 46 rotate in large measurebefore the center of the large disc D1 arrives between both detectionunits 52, 53. Therefore, the reciprocating member 74 moves a largeamount, and the pin 79 slides and makes contacts with the cam surface 85of the rotating member 75 causing the member 75 to rotate in theclockwise direction in the drawing. Further, the displacement of theposition detection member 209 is also large, and the third switch 37turns on by the third switch pressing unit 215.

When feeding of a disc further proceeds from the state of FIG. 22, whena small disc D2 is inserted, both disc detection members 45,46 recoverto the initial position prior to insertion of the disc while thedetection members 45, 46 slide and make contact with the circumferencesurface of the small disc D2 due to the energizing force of the coilspring 49. The circumference surface of the small disc D2 makes contactwith the disc contact unit 108 of the trigger member 91 causing thetrigger member 91 to rotate in the clockwise direction. By thisrotation, the pressing unit 109 of the trigger member 91 presses thepressed unit 162 of the slide member 160 causing the slide member 160 tomove in the disc eject direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 23, thesmall disc D2 slightly pushes the disc contact unit 108 causing thecircumference surface to make contact with each of the stopper units 97,98 of both stopper members 89, 90. At this time, the left side stoppermember 89 latches the first latch receiving unit 105 to the secondlatching unit 84 of the rotating member 75, so the left side stoppermember 89 is prohibited from turning in the clockwise direction and theright side stopper member 90 is prohibited from turning in thecounterclockwise direction, and the small disc D2 is fed slightlyfarther in than the preset loading position until contacting with bothstopper units 97, 98 and stops.

On the other hand, when a large disc D1 is inserted, the feeding processcontinues from the state in FIG. 22 until the circumference surfacemakes contact with each of the stopper members 97, 98, and because therotating member 75 rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing asthe cam surface 85 thereof is pressed by the pin 79 of the reciprocatingmember 74, the first latch receiving unit 105 of the stopper member 89is not latched to the second latching unit 84, and the stopper units 97,98 of both stopper members 89, 90 rotate in a direction to mutuallyseparate by being pressed by the circumference surface of the large discD1. Further, the large disc D1 pushes both stopper units 97, 98 by thecircumference surface, and at the same time also pushes the disc contactunit 108 of the trigger member 91 causing the trigger member 91 torotate in the clockwise direction in relation to the stopper member 90.By so doing, the pressing unit 109 of the trigger member 91 presses thepressed unit 162 of the sliding member 160 causing the sliding member160 to move in the disc eject direction.

As feeding of the large disc D1 further progresses, as shown in FIG. 23,the left side stopper member 89 is latched to the first latching unit 83of the rotating member 75 of the second latch receiving unit 106 of theleft side stopper member 89. Accordingly, both stopper members 89, 90are prohibited from further rotation, and the large disc D1 contactsboth stopper units 97, 98 and stops when the disc D1 is fed to thepreset loading position. In this process, both disc detection members45, 46 only slightly return with the reciprocating member 74 whilesliding and contacting the detection members 45, 46 to the circumferencesurface of the large disc D1 by the energizing force of the coil spring49; however, both disc detection members 45, 46 are prohibited fromreturning thereafter together with the reciprocating member 74 becausethe pin 79 of the reciprocating member 74 is latched to the thirdlatching unit 86 of the rotating member 75.

Moreover, even in the case where either a large disc D1 or a small discD2 is inserted, when the sliding member 160 is moved in the disc ejectdirection pressed by the trigger member 91, the guidance rack plate 161together with the sliding member 160 moves to the disc eject direction,as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, and the rack 164 of the guidance rackplate 161 is engaged with the small gear of the fifth gear 172. At thistime, the fifth gear 172 is already rotating receiving the driving forceof the motor 41, so the guidance rack plate 161 moves to the disc ejectdirection by the driving force of the motor 41. Then, the cam plate 181follows by the energizing force of the spring not illustrated hungacross the guidance rack plate 161 and the cam plate 181, and the slider180 which moves integrally with the cam plate 181 moves to engage therack unit 197 with the small gear of the fifth gear 172. In this manner,the slider 180 moves in the disc eject direction by the power of themotor 41.

The engaging pin 177 of the gear plate 167 is inserted to the cam groove196 of the slider 180; therefore, the engaging pin 177 moves with thecam groove 196 by the movement of the slider 180. Then, the gear plate167 rotates in the counterclockwise direction centering the spindle 175as shown with the virtual line in FIG. 11, and the sixth gear 173supported axially by the gear plate 167 separates from the fifth gear172. In this way, the power transfer path from the motor 41 throughoutthe roller 178 is interrupted and the rotation of the roller 178 stops.In other words, when a disc contacts both stopper units 97, 98, therotation of the roller 178 stops immediately; therefore, there is nouseless rotation while the roller 178 is in contact with the disc, andthere is no fear of damaging the data recording surface of the disc bythe rotation of the roller 178.

Meanwhile, because the driving force of the motor 41 continues to betransferred to the fifth gear 172; the slider 180 engaged with the fifthgear 172 moves further to the disc eject direction causing the clutchmeans to switch to the interruption side. In other words, the roller 178is separated from the disc (refer to FIG. 12) contacting the inclinedsurface 195 of the slider 180 to the large collar 186 of the roller 178.At this time, the roller supporter 179 rotates in the clockwisedirection in the drawing centering the shaft hole 191 while opposing theenergizing force of the spring not illustrated which is hung acrossbetween the actuator 210.

When the slider 180 moves to the disc eject direction, the cam plate 181also moves integrally; however, as shown in FIG. 6, before the cam plate181 moves, the engaging protrusion 155 of the right side transferringmember 143 is located at the foremost position in the drawing within thecam groove 199 of the cam plate 181. From this state, when the cam plate181 moves to the disc eject direction, the engaging protrusion 155 movesto the furthermost area along the cam groove 199 as shown in FIG. 24,and thereby, the right side transferring member 143 moves to the rightside in the drawing, and the left side transferring member 142 movessynchronously to the left side. As described above, when the right andleft transferring members 142, 143 are separated from each other, thereleasing member 123 is lowered by pressing the legs 132 of the rightand left linking mechanisms 111 by each of the first pressing units 150,151 respectively.

FIG. 25 shows the state when releasing the damper member 114 from theturntable 13 while clamping the circumference area of the damper member114 by the taper surface 128 of the right and left releasing members 123(the prior state of the cam plate 181 movement). From this state, whenthe right and left transferring members 142, 143 move in a direction toseparate from each other, as shown in FIG. 26, the first pressing units150, 151 of the transferring members 142, 143 press the leg 132 of therear linking member 125, and the rear linking member 125 rotates alongwith the front linking member 124 centering the cylinder 133, and theright and left taper surfaces 128 move downward to the right and leftwhile forming a circular trajectory. Accordingly, these taper surfaces128 draw apart to the right and left while lowering the damper member114. When the damper member 114 moves close enough to the turntable 13standing-by at the lower side of the damper member 114, the tapersurfaces 128 separate from the damper member 114 and move to a positionto clamp the disc in cooperation with the turntable 13; and the disc isclamped by the magnetic force between the damper 110 and the turntable13. At this time, if a small disc D2 is loaded, the disc is returned tothe designated loading position by the taper surface of the dampermember 114, and separated from the stopper units 97, 98.

Meanwhile, at the final stage of right and left movement, after the wallsurfaces of the pressed units 99, 100 used for a large disc of thestopper members 89, 90 are pressed by the pressing pieces 146, 147 andthe disc is clamped with the damper 110 and the turntable 13, bothtransferring members 142, 143, as shown in FIG. 24, separate the stopperunits 97, 98 from the disc by slightly rotating the stopper units 97, 98of both stopper members 89, 90 in the direction to separate from eachother. FIG. 24 shows the state when a large disc D1 is inserted;however, when a small disc D2 is inserted, the wall surfaces of thepressed units 101, 102 used for a small disc of the stopper members 89,90 are pressed, and then the stopper units 97, 98 are separated from thecircumference surface of the disc.

Further, at the final stage where the cam plate 181 moves to the disceject direction, when the second switch pressing unit 202 of the camplate 181 detects the completion of disc insertion by turning on thesecond switch 36, the loading motor 41 stops. In this manner, the discis arranged in the playback position and the loading of the disc iscomplete.

The relationships between the insertion of a large disc D1, small discD2 and the turning on and off of the first switch 35 through fifthswitch 39 are shown in the following table, and by turning each switchon and off, a determination is made whether the inserted disc is a largedisc D1 or a small disc D2.

Large Disc D1 Small Disc D2 First switch 16a ON OFF Second switch 16b ONON Third switch 16c ON OFF Fourth switch 16d ON OFF Fifth switch 16e ONON

Incidentally, when a disc is not inserted, the first switch 35 throughthe fifth switch 39 are all turned off.

Next, a description will be given hereafter of the operation todischarge to a position where a disc located in the playback positioncan be retrievable from the disc insertion port 2.

FIG. 24 shows the state where a large disc D1 is arranged at theplayback position, and when the eject button not illustrated is pressedwhile in such condition, the loading motor 41 activates. By thisactivation, the slider 180 (refer to FIG. 12) through the power transfermechanism 157 starts moving to the disc insert direction. By so doing,the cam plate 181 moves with the slider 180, thereby separating thesecond switch pressing unit 202 from the second switch 36 and turningoff the second switch 36.

When the slider 180 moves further in the disc insert direction, theengaging protrusion 155 of the transferring member 143 arrives at thefront inclined surface from the furthermost area of the cam groove 199of the cam plate 181. In this manner, the right side transferring member143 returns to the left side, and the left side transferring member 142returns to the right side, and the state changes from that in FIG. 24 toFIG. 23.

At this time, the first pressing unit 150, 151 of each of thetransferring members 142, 143 separate from the leg 132 of the linkingmechanism 111; however, the second pressing unit 152 presses the leg 132inward from the outside instead, and the rear linking member 125 rotateswith the front linking member 124 centering the cylinder 133, and theright and left taper surfaces 128 move upward to the right and leftwhile forming a circular trajectory. At this time, the right and lefttaper surfaces 128 scoops up the circumference edge of the damper member114, and the damper 110 releases the turntable 13.

Meanwhile, the stopper members 89, 90 pressed by the pressing pieces146, 147 of each of the transferring members 142, 143 are releasedallowing the return of both stopper units 97, 98 rotating in thedirection to be closer to each other by the energized spring notillustrated. Further, the stopper units 97, 98 push the exterior of thelarge disc D1, and the large disc D1 is pushed out to the disc ejectdirection. At that time, the trigger member 91 also rotates in thecounterclockwise direction together with the stopper member 90 andpushes out to a position where the large disc D1 is retrievable from thedisc insertion port 2.

When the slider 180 further moves to the disc insert direction, thelarge collar 186 heretofore pressed by the inclined surface 195 of theslider 180 rises when the pressure exerted by the inclined surface 195is released causing the roller 178 to make contact with the disc (referto FIG. 12). At that time, the roller supporter 179 rotates in thecounterclockwise direction in the drawing.

At the final stage in which the slider 180 moves in the disc insertdirection, the engaging pin 177 of the gear plate 167 which engages withthe cam groove 196 arrives at the cam surface as shown in FIG. 11, andthe gear plate 167 rotates in the clockwise direction centering thespindle 175. By so doing, the sixth gear 173 axially supported in thegear plate 167 engages with the fifth gear 172, and the driving force ofthe loading motor 41 is transferred even to the roller 178 initiatingrotation in the disc eject direction of the roller 178. And then, thelarge disc D1 is discharged by the rotation of the roller 178.

When the large disc D1 is discharged by the roller 178, both stoppermembers 89, 90 return to their initial positions prior to disc insertionshown in FIG. 22; and both detection units 52, 53 follow thecircumference surface of the large disc D1 as both disc detectionmembers 45, 46 rotate to discharge further. At that time, when thecenter of the large disc D1 moves beyond both detection units 52, 53,both disc detection members 45, 46 rotate in the direction to becomecloser to each other.

By the rotation of both of these disc detection members 45, 46, thereciprocating member 74 moves to the disc eject direction, and therotating member 75 rotates in the counterclockwise direction by theenergizing force of the spring 77 along the pin 79 of the reciprocatingmember 74. At that time, the stopper member 89 is returned to itsinitial position, so the rotating member 75 can rotate without beingrestricted by the stopper member 89.

When the third switch pressing unit 215 of the position detection member209 which is linked with the disc detection member 46 is removed fromthe third switch 37 as shown in FIG. 21, the third switch 37 is turnedoff thereby detecting the completion of the discharge of the large discD1 and stopping the motor 41. In the case of discharging a small discD2, when the fourth switch pressing unit 216 of the member 209 separatesfrom the fourth switch 38 thereby detecting the completion of the discdischarge and stopping the motor 41.

In addition, the taper surface 120 is used for the damper member 114,and the taper surface 128 is used for the releasing member 123respectively with the present Embodiment; however, it is not be limitedto these, and the component force to release the damper member 114 fromthe turntable 13 can be obtained by the releasing member 123 even if ataper surface (inclined surface) is provided only to at least one ofeither the damper member 114 or releasing member 123.

Further, the linkage span is the same with the front linking member 124and the rear linking member 125 with the present Embodiment; however, itis not limited to this, and an incline occurs with the releasing memberin relation to the damper even if the linkage span of the rear linkingmember 125 is slightly longer than the linkage span of the front linkingmember 124; therefore, the detachment force of the damper in accompanywith the rotation of the front linking member 124 and the rear linkingmember 125 can be greatly enhanced.

1. A disc loading apparatus, comprising: a frame (5); a disc guide (32);a pair of disc detection members (45, 46) mounted in said frameproviding detection units (52, 53) respectively; a interlockingmechanism (47, 48) mounted in the frame so as to rotate these detectionmembers in synchronization; and a roller (178) mounted in the frame soas to clamp a disc in cooperation with the disc guide, and feed saiddisc by a rotational operation; wherein said pair of detection membersrotate in the widening direction of the mutual gap of the detectionmembers while each of the detection members is pushed to thecircumference of the inserted disc; and the disc position and discdiameter are detected by the rotation amount of the pair of discdetection members, and disc clamping by the roller and the disc guideaccording to the disc position and the diameter, and the roller rotationare controlled, wherein said disc loading apparatus further comprises: atop panel (17) provided in the frame; a second mounting unit (28) formedon a portion of said top panel; a first mounting unit (29) formed onanother portion of the top panel; a stepped unit (30) formed between thefirst and second mounting units by sagging the upper surface of thesecond mounting unit downward more than the lower surface of the firstmounting unit; and a notch (31) formed in said stepped unit; wherein aportion of the disc guide is constituted in the second mounting unit,and the interlocking mechanisms are mounted on the upper surface of thesecond mounting unit; the pair of disc detection members is mounted onthe lower surface of the first mounting unit, and these detectionmembers are arranged throughout the lower surface of the first mountingunit and the upper surface of the second mounting unit.
 2. The discloading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notch has an end toregulate the rotation range of at least one of the disc detectionmembers.